Looking for recommendation for supplements for elderly cat

Binka

My cat's skin has become dry and flakey over the last few weeks and his coat is looking dull. I have him for about 10 years now but took him in as a stray so I'm not exactly sure of his age, perhaps around 15 or so.
His regular food is Royal Canin obesity diet which he loves and has been on for roughly 3 years. He refuses to eat anything else. He also loves Dreamies treats but only in small doses.
Does anyone have any recommendations for supplements that would improve his skin/coat and general well being?
This is my first experience of having an elderly cat so any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Zapperzy

I use salmon oil a few times a week. http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/cats/supplements_specialty_cat_food/fur_skin_supplements/127318

I would recommend having a word with your vet though just in case there are any other problems going on that would cause the poor coat, especially with such an elderly cat. Kidney disease is quite common in older cats and they often have a scruffy poor coat with it.

Binka

Zapperzy wrote: »

I use salmon oil a few times a week. http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/cats/supplements_specialty_cat_food/fur_skin_supplements/127318

I would recommend having a word with your vet though just in case there are any other problems going on that would cause the poor coat, especially with such an elderly cat. Kidney disease is quite common in older cats and they often have a scruffy poor coat with it.

I have checked out the salmon oil reviews on zooplus and it seems to get the thumbs up.
I think I might take your advice about the vet though, as it seems to have developed in a very short space of time.
Might invest in the salmon oil anyway just for his general health.
Thanks Zapperzy

Zapperzy

Get the smallest bottle possible or even the capsules. I use the 300ml for 1 cat and 1 small dog and I find by the bottom quarter of the bottle the cat starts going off it, I'v heard it goes off quickly so that is probably why. I mash it up in wet food and she usually doesn't mind it.
Well done on getting her to 15, I got mine as a kitten and she's coming up on 7 now and it frightens me how fast it has gone.

Binka

Well, I have 2 dogs too and one of them, the lurcher, is definately more than 8 so he could probably use it too. i guess if you keep it in the fridge it will keep as fresh as possible.
It's just a shame that they get old so suddenly. I have had 4 rescue dogs and 1 stray cat and it's heart breaking when you lose one, but the way I look at it is that it creates an empty bed for another dog or cat that needs a better life.

marley123

You could also try Cod Liver Oil or a food with extra omega 3

gigawatt

i had a cat who used to get weird flakey skin and lose weight the odd time, the vet diagnosed it as a flea allergy dermatitis which was strange cause I used to deflea him regularly(every 3-4 months with stronghold). I stepped up the defleaing program and he was grand.

DBB

Instead of salmon oil, or cod liver oil, or any fish oil, why not give them (dogs and cats) the naturally packaged form of these oils.. i.e. fish?! Tins of sardines (in water), or tuna (in water) etc have the oils, AND glucosamine and chondroitin, AND protein, all in one nifty little package!
What's more, and this is true for dogs and probably true for cats (not sure if it has been researched as much as it has been for dogs), the Omega 3 and Vitamin E contained in fishies is absolutle fantastic at reversing the signs of mental ageing, if caught early enough.

Binka

DBB wrote: »

Instead of salmon oil, or cod liver oil, or any fish oil, why not give them (dogs and cats) the naturally packaged form of these oils.. i.e. fish?! Tins of sardines (in water), or tuna (in water) etc have the oils, AND glucosamine and chondroitin, AND protein, all in one nifty little package!
What's more, and this is true for dogs and probably true for cats (not sure if it has been researched as much as it has been for dogs), the Omega 3 and Vitamin E contained in fishies is absolutle fantastic at reversing the signs of mental ageing, if caught early enough.

Thanks DBB, that's worth considering too. i wasn't aware you could get sardines in water but it certainly makes sense. I'll look in the supermarket and see. I know you can get tuna in brine but wouldn't that be too much salt for them?
I know the dogs would love it, not sure how easy it would be to get the cat to eat fish as he's so unbelievably fussy.

DBB

Binka wrote: »

i wasn't aware you could get sardines in water but it certainly makes sense. I'll look in the supermarket and see. I know you can get tuna in brine but wouldn't that be too much salt for them?
I know the dogs would love it, not sure how easy it would be to get the cat to eat fish as he's so unbelievably fussy.

Aren't cats gas? I know I have this image in my head of various cartoon cats always relishing fish, with a fishy skeleton never too far away from them!
I have sardines in mineral water here. I bought it in Sainsbury's, but I'm sure I have seen these, and tuna in water, in Tesco and other shops down here in the south. Having said all that, if you drain all the vegetable oil off canned fish, I can't see there being a huge problem. I think the veg oil itself offsets some of the good of the fish oils, so if you can get rid of most of it, it'd surely be okay?!

boomerang

Part of the problem OP could be that the obesity food is deliberately low in fat?

Also wanted to add this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/aisling76/cats.jpg

The Sweeper

DBB wrote: »

Instead of salmon oil, or cod liver oil, or any fish oil, why not give them (dogs and cats) the naturally packaged form of these oils.. i.e. fish?! Tins of sardines (in water), or tuna (in water) etc have the oils, AND glucosamine and chondroitin, AND protein, all in one nifty little package!

What's more, and this is true for dogs and probably true for cats (not sure if it has been researched as much as it has been for dogs), the Omega 3 and Vitamin E contained in fishies is absolutle fantastic at reversing the signs of mental ageing, if caught early enough.

Sardines, yes, tuna, no. There are very low amounts of vitamin E in canned tuna. Cats fed on a diet rich in tinned tuna are at risk of pansteatitis - where fat forms into hard lumps in the cat's body and cannot be metabolised. It's an extremely painful condition. Kitties are better off without too much canned tuna in their diet - a treat once a week maybe, but no more.

Fish in oil also has a tendency to give cats the runs. Fish in brine is too much salt. Sardines in springwater would be the best option for a cat if you wanted to give them a treat a couple of times a week. It's not a complete cat food though, so I wouldn't be substituting a tin of sardines for a complete catfood too many times in a week.